Simon McHendry

Swire Hotels is pleased to announce that Simon McHendry, former General Manager of EAST, Beijing, has been transferred to The Temple House as the new General Manager, effective July, and will oversee the operations and lead the team in Chengdu.

Simon began his life in Asia over a decade ago in 2004 when he relocated from London to Hong Kong and then later to Beijing. With hospitality in his blood and planted in Asia all these years, Simon gained valuable insight through fully immersing himself in the culture and building genuine relationships.

In 2015, Simon joined Swire Hotels first as Executive Assistant Manager - Sales & Marketing at The Opposite House, then later in 2016 moved over to EAST, Beijing, taking on the role of General Manager. Having been a part of the Swire Hotels family for over four years in both The House Collective and EAST brands, Simon embodies the Swire culture and will guide the team at The Temple House in the same spirit, encouraging team members to be themselves, make decisions, try new things, and most importantly, to have a sense of humour. He also brings with him to The Temple House a deep understanding of Swire Hotels' dedication to service, familiarity with culture, as well as a wealth of knowledge and experience in both back-of-house and front-of-house operations.

Simon is the proud father of a six-year-old son, and in his spare time enjoys playing sports, travelling and spending time with his family. He is most looking forward to exploring Chengdu together with his family, especially trying all the local Sichuan dishes and visiting the pandas.

Swire Hotels has been created to manage soulfully individual hotels in Hong Kong, Mainland China, the United Kingdom and the USA, providing a characterful experience for well travelled individually minded travellers who seek originality, style and personalised service.

13 September 2017 — Brian Williams, previously the Managing Director of Swire Hotels has taken up the new role of Deputy Chairman, focusing on the growth and development of the group. He is a seasoned hotelier who has worked in the luxury hotel market on four continents over the last thirty years.

13 September 2017 — Born and brought up in the U.K., Toby joined the Swire group as a Management Trainee in 1991 after graduating from the University of Bristol. During his tenure at Swire, Toby has held positions within the group’s shipping and aviation sectors, which has taken him to countries as diverse as Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Australia, Turkey, Sri Lanka, France, Singapore and Hong Kong.

13 September 2017 — As a creative director and brand consultant with over 20 years of experience, Gretchen joined Swire Hotels in April 2017 as Director of Marketing. She has previously worked for global publishing powerhouses including Condé Nast, Hearst, Time Inc.